How to Sign a PDF in Google Drive (Built-In)
The short answer
Sign a PDF in Google Drive with Drive’s built-in annotation tools: open the PDF in the Drive viewer, click the pencil icon, and use the signature option — draw it with your mouse or trackpad and drop it on the page. Free, no installs, and the signed file saves back to Drive automatically.
Sign a PDF in Google Drive, step by step
- Open the PDF in Google Drive (double-click it).
- Click the pencil icon (top right) to enter annotation mode.
- In the toolbar, use the signature option (the squiggle icon) — or the drawing tool to write your name.
- Draw your signature with the mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen. Adjust its size, then place it on the page.
- Save — the signature is part of the file now, stored back in Drive.
That’s the whole flow. Drive saves automatically, so there’s no “did I remember to save?” moment — the signed version lives where you left it.
The honest part
Three things worth knowing:
- It’s a drawn signature, not an audited e-signature. Drive’s scribble has no identity verification or audit trail. For casual agreements it’s fine; for anything with legal weight, use a proper e-signature service.
- Your signature isn’t stored. Unlike Acrobat or iPhone’s Files app, Drive doesn’t remember your signature for future documents — you redraw it each time. Slightly annoying, harmless.
- Scans sign fine. Unlike text edits, signatures work on scanned PDFs — they’re just drawings on top. That’s the one edit type that works on any PDF.
And one workflow tip: Drive’s annotation saves to the same file, so the original is overwritten. If you might need the unsigned version later, duplicate the file in Drive before signing.